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Sunday, August 21, 2011

Megan was out of town this week, so Linda and I invited Artie Vanderpool from Color Outside the Lines blog HERE to join us while we wrapped up the first season of Bravo's Million Dollar Decorators.

Best Moments: Kathryn Ireland's fights with Shannon Factor. Look at that face!

Artie actually wrote a weekly recap on his blog for each episode so he was very knowledgeable about some behind the scenes info that we hadn't heard about.

Best Moments: Ross and Jam in the bathtub. What more can we say????

All three of us adored the show, but felt that eight short weeks wasn't nearly enough. But, it did make for an exciting summer watching the antics of Kathryn and Martyn, Mary and Nathan, and Jeffrey and Ross. So much fun!

Best Moments: Jacqueline - Kathryn Ireland's wine drinking French maid. OMG - she was the breakout star of the season!

Be sure to listen as we discuss what we liked about the show, what we hated about the show (not much!) and what we thought about Shannon Factor!

Best Momemts: Martyn Lawrence Bullard works while Kathryn Ireland hangs out by the pool in Palm Springs.

Is Million Dollar Decorators coming back next year? Who knows? We discuss who we would like to come on next time - or do we want the same cast??????

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Best Moments: Nathan Turner and Mary McDonald travel to market in North Carolina and think they landed in the South.

As always, thank you for all your support and comments you leave! We hope you enjoy this session with the Skirted Roundtable and Artie!

22 comments:

I listened to my very first Shirted Roundtable (via Artie's blog) and it was a very enjoyable discussion. I had left a comment on Joni's blog about how shocked I was when Martyn used that image in Daisy Fuente's home so it was interesting to hear the behind-the-scenes and effects of that.

Also, I was surprised so many of you did not like Jeffrey Alan Marks on the show. He was a bit snobby and unorganized (like a lot of decorators) but I really loved his design style--especially his beach house. There is a great tour of it on the Bravo website. He's the one I would hire if I had to choose.

I loved the show and hope, hope, hope that there is a season 2. Loved Mary McDonald and Nathan Turner together the best. They are so funny and talented. It was so much fun seeing some really beautiful homes come together. I do feel that a lot of the customer/decorator relations was fake--good friends who want to be on camera and/or wanabee actresses who will do anything to get to TV even if they look bad.

I saw excerpts from this show and I was alarmed and ashamed and horrified!

this has been my business for 40 years! I saw decorators insulting their clients to their faces; getting drunk and passing out......and behaving in ways there is no way they would ever be hired. I did not think any of it was funny. Nor did I think any of it was real. Or if it was; they will all need to find other jobs......(not in the decorating world)......maybe they can find one in a "reality show"! Kardashian?

I felt it was a horrible and disgraceful and totally unrealistic depiction of a career I have treasured for forty years. I found it heartbreaking. Not funny at all. I wanted to cry. It was so sad and pathetic.

the absolute nadir was Kathryn Ireland......(the huge talent that she is!!) passed out drunk. It was so sad to me. Since when is that funny? Revolting.they should all be ashamed of themselves. No decorator would have a job if they treated clients that way. How shameful that they "sold out" to do a series like that. EWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!! I am astonished that you girls liked it!I am fascinated that you guys loved it. Why? And what does Dianne Dorrans Saeks think? I wonder!!!

Cote de Texas, please monopolize the otherwise very enjoyable conversation less. When you make a point, trust me, the listeners get it. There's no reason to beat a dead horse with the other speakers. Thank you.

Very enjoyable podcast, ladies and gent. I agreed with most of your observations, except as a civilian (not a designer) I found the relationship/human interest elements of the show just as entertaining. My favorites were JAM and Ross (my husband and I have worked together for decades across various companies/businesses) for the reality of their portrayal as business partners also a couple, and Mary McDonald (for her humor and attitude.) I was disappointed that KMI came across as a bit of harassed mom, with a tendency to indulge in the wine, etc. I also thought that the short season of eight episodes may have been the result of her loss of the beach house project. The fact that the film crew was filming the Hungry Cat after the first of the year may have been a lack of usable material for the series.

Artie was a great add to this podcast--nice to get a boy's POV. I hope Bravo picks up another season, but it doesn't sound good at present. Ratings data (you can google MDD on the web for cable shows and then select the week) indicated that MDD was always last or next to last on shows being tracked. Does that matter? Not sure. I'm also amazed at how few people had heard of the show--not much marketing, even on the Bravo network.

Were some of the designers portrayed poorly for the benefit of the series (manufactured drama?)I'm positive that's true, esp JAM and KMI. What were their reasons for allowing those clips to be aired--maybe they had no choice? (but you know they all have agents and contracts)

IMHO, the most talented designer showcased was JAM. His work is beautiful/airy and timeless. (Guess there's a reason Tavern received so much acclaim in LA.) He'd be the one I'd hire, as well.

Fun discussions and insights. I discovered I could watch the series via Utube here in Phuket and had a great evening with darling daughter #3 watching them back to back...what a hoot really....as a designer loved the fact they seemed to have all the problems we all have had in the 'regular' world....a bit of the misery likes company gig I confess.

I think a new cast in NY would be great! Thinking Ms. Factor a difficult client well...? it might be fun to see what they find in the finacial capital of the US...can't we have a series ie those wacky housewives of New Jersey, Atlanta etc... there are fab designers all over could you imagine Paris LOL!

Loved the recap, and Artie was a great addition to the show. :) Looking forward to a weekend off, so I can catch up on the episodes I missed this summer. Martin was my absolute favorite, even my boyfriend will top & watch the show when he's on screen, lol.

Just wanted to let you guys know that I adore the show & listen to every episode, I just don't have the time to sit at the computer & listen. So, I have just a teeny suggestion. It would be so helpful for those of us who listen on the go, if you could give us a download link right on the site, so we don't have to wander through podbean to find it. (The html code for direct download is under the mp3 player code in podbean.) Just a thought. Thanks for the great show.

I loved looking at the design on the show. Have to admit, I could do with out the drama. I would record the show and fast forward through the drama. The design was great to look at and loved seeing the creativity.

I'd read Joni's description and listened to this SRT podcast ages ago, and that was enough to tempt me into recently buying the first series of MDD on iTunes. What a hoot it was. I watched the whole season in a marathon session over the weekend. Thoroughly enjoyed the design, the relationships and the drama - and I don't mind if that was real or manufactured. Some good lessons about typical things that don't always go to plan. Loved MM and NT. Also noticed MLB's impecable charm and manners with all he came into contact with. Would book KI if she worked here in Australia (and I had $1m to spend!) Watching the series made me want to listen again to the SRT today, now that I know who and what you were talking about : )

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